"When the wheat was being harvested, the ground in the river valley and beside the irrigation canal was all golden, the wheat leaves were curled up in the sun, and the wheat stalks gradually withered..." Among the marching team, two masters were chatting.
Wang Jiao followed them and listened silently.
He thought of the fields in the countryside of Huizhou. In a month or two, the wheat fields at home should be harvested, right?
I don’t know if I can take care of everything just by relying on my grandparents and younger siblings.
The sun was rising so high that there was silence in the mountains and forests, and the desolate post road led straight into the distance, seemingly endless.
Five hundred people from the Zhenguo Army had delivered the supplies to Wei Village on time, but they did not receive permission to return. On the contrary, they were caught and continued to transport supplies eastward.
Wang Jiao's military position was too low to find out the purpose of marching eastward. But he had eyes and could guess the real reason.
The large banner of Heluo Commander Li Tangbin just passed by yesterday. Reminiscent of the previous scene of large groups of soldiers mobilizing eastward, the reason is very clear. After the construction of the Wei County city was completed, Li Tangbin ordered the main force to march eastward to impose greater force on the Bian army.
pressure.
He was not very clear about the previous battle.
But the Bian army can't give up so much land for no reason, right? Even the key point of Weishan was lost.
Any general, as long as he is not stupid enough, will stand ready on the mountain side of Weishan, but with a big flag with the word "Fu" on the mountain, what else is there to say? It must be a great victory for our army and a defeat for the Bian army.
However, this Li Jingluo envoy was also cautious enough. He built cities and fortresses, and set up camps step by step. He also used the Yaoshan Mountain to consume the vigor of the Bian Army. Now he is marching eastward. This is to bully the Bian Army because there are not many cavalry, and he wants to expand the results, right?
"How is the wheat harvest in Fengyi County?"
"Let's harvest one bush of dendrobium per acre, two or three bushels of it."
"That's not bad. There is only one dendrobium in Zheng County."
"Isn't it all water that you use to irrigate the ground? Why is it so low?"
"The river is full of mills, and there is very little water in the ditches. Years with lots of rain are fine, but if there is not much rain, it will be too difficult."
"Whose mill?"
"Who else could it be? This minister, that minister."
"well!"
A horseman came at a fast pace, shouting as he walked: "The deputy general has given an order. The sergeant should put on his armor for an hour, cock his bow and raise his spear. After crossing the valley, he will return to normal."
After giving the order, the convoy stopped one after another.
The sergeants went in batches to get armor and equipment. Wang Jiao also put on the armor with the help of Pao Ze, and then took out a rifle from the chariot. The rifle at his waist was already stringed, and the quiver was filled with arrows.
arrow.
When marching, of course it is impossible to carry the rifle all the time, nor to wear armor all the time, and most of the time the bow tip is not stringed. First, the physical strength does not allow it, and secondly, it also hinders the marching speed.
"The military envoys have already passed this journey. Who the hell is giving random orders? Isn't it just tormenting people?" Someone complained dissatisfiedly.
"I'm afraid I learned from Marshal Shao. Even if we stay for one night, we will build the camp as if we have stayed there for several months." Someone said with a smile.
Wang Jiao frowned and saw that he was not a sergeant of his own team.
The only problem with the Zhenguo Army is that it comes from too many sources. Many of them are simply rural warriors who have just joined the army a month or two ago and come from places like Longyou with fierce folk customs.
I'm afraid it will take dozens of lashes to learn not to talk nonsense.
After carefully passing through the valley, everyone moved forward for a while before receiving the order: disarm.
The convoy continued to move forward.
This walk lasted for two days, until at noon on the sixth day of July, we finally arrived at our destination: the main camp two miles west of Tuhao Village.
…
In the camp, Li Tangbin had just convened the generals to discuss matters.
In fact, Wang Jiao's guess was correct.
After the construction of the city in Wei County was completed and the defenders were assigned, Li Tangbin added 1,500 reinforcements to Fu Cunshen in Wei County: infantry troops from the Pro-Army Division of the Duhu Prefecture.
The Bian army has been attacking this stronghold for more than half a month, but they still cannot capture it.
The main force attacking the city was the Zhongwu Army, Caizhou Army, and Ruzhou Army coming from the south.
They attacked from the two strongholds of Huixiban and Shazha City, but made no progress.
This kind of terrain is really difficult for them. The effect of an army of 10,000 and an army of 100,000 is the same. They cannot set up a formation and can only invest a few people.
Fortunately, in a place like this where the roads are all on the hillside, the Xia army's cavalry could not show off their power, nor could they bypass the two Bian army camps in Shazha City and Huixiban. The two sides just spent their time in boredom until
Li Tangbin led the Yi Cong, Tianzhu, Heyuan, Jishi, Shaanxi and Guo armies of 30,000 troops to march eastward.
He is going to attack Tuhao Village. This village is located 30 miles east of Wei Village and less than 30 miles away from Mianchi County. If he can encircle the village for reinforcements and attract some Bian troops, he can choose a suitable battlefield.
, fighting in the field with enemy formations.
This does not mean that we are confident that we can defeat the Bian army in the field, but who told us to have more cavalry?
The field battle is unfavorable and the army retreats. Can the Bian army pursue it?
If you maintain a tight formation and pursue, you won't be able to go fast, and you won't be able to catch up with the defeated Xia army. Li Tangbin can calmly deal with the defeated army and reorganize his troops.
If you chase them in large numbers, the speed will be faster, but the formation will inevitably be loose and messy. If you are charged by the cavalry at this time, you may turn victory into defeat.
Of course, this tactic is not impossible to crack.
Li Keyong attacked Chengde, and General Li Cunxin led his infantry into a formation of chariots. They faced the harassment of a large group of Chengde cavalry and pushed straight into Yaoshan. The Chengde army guarding Yaoshan could not resist and was killed and collapsed. But Yaoshan this
Once the key points were lost, Chengde's army was shaken on all fronts and was eventually defeated, with more than 10,000 prisoners and beheads.
This means you hit yours and I hit mine.
The battlefield in Hebei is so wide, why do I have to fight you head-on? Isn't it good to attack you and save you, mobilize your troops, and expose your weaknesses?
Lao Li's fighting skills are indeed not bad.
Of course, the advantage of Chengde's large number of cavalry also played a part, otherwise the end result may not be just being cut off and eaten by tens of thousands of people, but losing tens of thousands.
After the discussion in the big tent was completed, the generals went to their respective camps, but Li Fan stayed behind, obviously having something to say.
"The regulation of Tuhao Village is not large, and there are not many defenders. The rebel army is still heavily guarded in Mianchi, and the two bridges and the front line may be able to be pulled out." Li Tangbin looked at Li Fan, the governor of the Baoyi Army who stayed behind specially, and said: "Baoyi Army
There are more than ten thousand rebels, well-equipped soldiers and horses, brave and skilled in fighting, and the important task of attacking the stronghold falls on you."
"The manager is exaggerating. The Baoyi army is certainly good at fighting, but they are new to the country and are not accustomed to the local environment..." Li Fan obviously did not want to be used as cannon fodder for sieges, so he tried his best to defend himself.
Li Tangbin's face turned cold. The soldiers in the tent also turned their heads and stared at him eagerly.
Guo Fu, who was assigned to Li Tangbin as a supervisor (supervisor) and painter (army), saw that the atmosphere was a bit tense, so he immediately pulled Li Fan outside the tent and said with a smile: "Why did the envoy give the most outstanding task to the Baoyi Army?
? A certain person believes that the Baoyi Army has been in existence for many years, guarding key areas, with brave officers and soldiers, and a cloud of fierce generals, which is not comparable to ordinary soldiers."
Li Fan quickly stretched out his hand to stop. He was afraid that Guo Fu would continue to give the Baoyi army a high hat. He only heard him say: "The Bian army has been fighting for many years and is powerful. Our army is new and has no experience in fighting..."
"So this is the test that the envoy will give to the Baoyi Army." Guo Fu said matter-of-factly.
"The strategic plan is to sacrifice the soldiers of Shaanxi and Guo to preserve their strength." Li Fan was so dizzy from being surrounded by Guo Ji that he began to speak indiscriminately.
"You can't say that, the Baoyi Army is just the strength of the military envoy." Guo Fu's expression did not change.
Facing such a thick-skinned Guo Fu, Li Fan was willing to give in.
I wanted to say a few more words, but when I thought that Shao Shude was the one who recommended me as the governor, I could only sigh.
He would not have had the guts to question Li Tangbin face to face. But this involved the core interests of a warlord, which was the "cost" issue, so he had to step forward. After all, rabbits bite when they are anxious.
But it was obvious that the Shaanxi and Guo sergeants had to take the lead in attacking the trenches.
…
After the camp moved to the vicinity of Tuhao Village, the cavalry led by Bai Gui became active again.
"The general is willing to bet that after capturing Tuhao Village, the military commander will have to build the city." On the hills covered with dandelions, thousands of cavalry were marching.
Bai Gui couldn't help laughing when he heard this, and said: "That's probably true. But it's also the right way. In the past, the Northern Zhou Dynasty and the Northern Qi Dynasty fought against each other. From Shaanzhou to Luoyang, they repeatedly saw each other and built forts. In the end, the Northern Zhou Dynasty built the city to
Xin'an is approaching the outskirts of Luoyang, I'm afraid the military commander also wants to do this."
"I'm afraid the people of Bian will not call him 'Fortune General' from now on." It was Li Duo who spoke.
The more than 8,000 cavalrymen under Bai Gui came from the cavalry of various armies. Li Duo led a thousand cavalrymen from the Shunyi Army, mainly from Shatuo and Amo people. Originally, the Youyi envoy of the Shunyi Army served as An Xiuxiu and concurrently, but
He was also a military envoy and could not come in person, so he was brought along by Li Duo and obeyed the command of Heluo Youyi's attack envoy Bai Gui.
Searching for and fighting the Bian Army cavalry was Bai Gui's main task, and his secondary task was to cooperate with the infantry in field operations.
Unfortunately, Hu Zhen didn't seem to have many cavalry, and he was unwilling to send them out to fight. After searching for a long time, there was still no chance of fighting, which made them very upset.
The military cavalry is not a ranger like the cavalry. They are born to rush and kill.
"In the city of Wei County, a small military city may be built in Tuhao Village. If Mianchi County is captured, there will be no need to build a city. Further east, there is Xia Shi Fort. There are also ready-made military forts, but they are difficult to attack." Bai
Gui said: "In fact, it is right to build a city. It is safe. The terrain is so complex, the mountains are rolling, and there is no city to support. It is indeed very dangerous. If the people in Wei County can recruit 5,000 households, they will collect more than 100,000 grains a year.
Beans are not a big problem, and hay is even less important, which can satisfy a lot of military needs."
An army of 30,000 to 40,000 people is obviously not enough to attack Luoyang, and it is not worth the sacrifice.
In this case, it is better to advance slowly and steadily, learn from the "stupid methods" of the Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties, build fortifications and advance, and constantly put pressure on the Bian army.
During the Western Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties, many cities were built east of the Yellow River, including the famous "Gao Huan Happy City".
After the Northern Qi Dynasty defeated the Northern Zhou army, they also built thirteen cities nearby.
This is the helpless behavior of both sides when neither side can achieve a decisive victory, and they fight against each other.
The Xia army has many cavalry, and the Bian army does not dare to farm west of Luoyang, but I dare!
The more forage and grain you produce, the more Xia troops can support the campaign, and you can recruit masters and even soldiers on the spot, and the power to contain you will become stronger and stronger.
After more than 3,000 cavalry marched near Mianchi County, they kept sending people to provoke and invite battle. But unfortunately, not a hair of the Bian Army cavalry was seen.
In desperation, Bai Gui planned to repeat his old tricks and find a place to hide and rest.
After the main force attacks Tuhao Village, let's see if the Bian Army will reinforce it. If the enemy reinforcements don't reveal as big a flaw as Liu Kangyi's, then let the main force of the infantry deal with it. If there are too many flaws, then I can't bear it.
Stay.
As long as you don't let you attack the place where I must save you, the initiative will always be with me.
What must be saved is to build a city to make up for it. The "bad guys" in the Zhenguo Army who only know how to defend the city have just used their strengths.